Mete Atatüre, a 1996 graduate of the Department of Physics, was appointed head of the Cavendish Laboratory, which is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. The laboratory was opened in 1874. As of 2019, 30 Cavendish researchers have won Nobel prizes. Notable discoveries such as the electron, neutron, and structure of DNA have occurred at the Cavendish Laboratory (https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/history/nobel).
After graduating from Bilkent, Prof. Atatüre joined the Quantum Imaging Laboratory at Boston University for his PhD studies. From 2002 to 2007, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Quantum Photonics Group at ETH Zurich. He joined Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory in June 2007 as a university lecturer and was promoted to a readership in 2011 and to a professorship in 2015.
Prof. Atatüre is a fellow of the Institute of Physics, the Optical Society of America, Academia Europaea and the Turkish Science Academy. He is the recipient of the IoP 2020 Thomas Young Medal.
Commenting on his appointment, Prof. Atatüre said, “I am incredibly honored to be trusted in this role and to follow in the footsteps of Andy Parker and everyone who made the Cavendish Laboratory what it is today — a great place of scientific discovery, driven by the urge to question and challenge.”
Prof. Atatüre is the scientific lead of the Quantum Optical Materials and Systems team (QOMS). His experimental research group investigates the quantum physics of light-matter interaction to implement quantum information networks and communication as well as new applications in sensing.
He is also a cofounder and CSO of the quantum-tech spin out, Nu Quantum Ltd. He dedicates significant time to science communication and public engagement on the role of science in society, scientific integrity and the achievement of diversity and equality in science.